Growing, Changing, Meeting and Exceeding Expectations
by Annette Pinder
It’s a common refrain — the pandemic has changed everything. “However, things have actually been changing for a long time. It just took a while for some organizations to catch on,” says Michael J. Mineo, MD, Kaleida Health’s Interim Chief Medical Officer.
“Many people who lived to work harder and longer are now retiring, and younger people entering the workforce have different goals and expectations. They don’t want to expend all of their energy working long hours. They aren’t just interested in compensation and health benefits. They place greater importance on work-life balance, the desire to spend time with family and friends, care for their loved ones, and enjoy a higher quality of life. With the help of our Chief Diversity Officer, Shannon Bryant, we are listening to their needs and gaining the benefit of their perspectives,” says Mineo.
This has led to significant changes in recruitment efforts for all employers, as individuals in the workforce shop for the best opportunity, rather than jumping to accept the first offer they receive. And the need at Kaleida is great as the region’s largest hospital system seeks to fill positions in clinical, environmental, and janitorial services, and engages with nursing school programs to bridge the gap between school and employment.
“We understand that there is competition across the entire community. We aren’t just competing for candidates in healthcare. It’s all industries. However, joining Kaleida provides the opportunity to perform meaningful work, care for people of all ages, and the ability to grow and change as their interests change and new opportunities arise,” says Mineo. He also views working at Kaleida as an opportunity to help the community recover from the pandemic.
Speaking of the pandemic, Mineo attributes Kaleida’s success to a process put in place before COVID-19 that brought all stakeholders together in a structured agenda in the event of a mass casualty incident. “It included everything from supply chain to clinical experts, and enabled us to quickly operationalize and navigate all aspects of the pandemic as a team. Our efforts won us the first PIVOT Award (Progressive, Innovative, Valuable, Opportune, and Transformative), a newly created award that recognizes the extraordinary efforts hospitals put in place in responding to the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Mineo.
With Kaleida’s primary focus on keeping Western New Yorkers healthy and preventing and lowering the community burden of disease, Mineo says, “We want to ensure that patients receive the right care, at the right time, at the right place. Whether it’s robotic, open heart, or knee replacement surgery, or life-saving health screenings, we want all Western New Yorkers to have access to specialists and hospitals, regardless of where they live. Working within the Great Lakes Hospital Network with community partners, private health practices, nursing homes, rehab centers, and other hospitals, is resulting in higher quality, more efficient, and less costly outpatient care and treatment.”
Learn about Kaleida’s extensive network of care, treatment locations, and services at https://www.kaleidahealth.org/locations. Visit https://m.kaleidahealth.org/careers to learn about the health system’s career opportunities.
